The Last Witch Hunter

In the Middle Ages, the witch hunter Kaulder (Vin Diesel) hunts down the Witch Queen (Julie Engelbrecht) with the inhabitants of towns devastated by the black plague that she had spread.. The Witch Queen curses Kaulder with eternal life to make him suffer the loss of his wife and daughter for the eternity.

Eight hundred years later, there is a balance in the world and the witches live peacefully among humans. The witch hunter Kauder and The Axe and Cross that judges and imprisons witches in the darkness are the responsible for keeping the world in peace. The priest Dolan 36th (Michael Caine) is the liaison between The Axe and Cross and Kauder, giving support and keeping the record of his life. On the same day of his retirement, Dolan 36th dies alone in his apartment. Kauder goes to his apartment with Dolan 37th (Elijah Wood) to investigate his death and finds black magic in the spot. Further, he finds that Dolan 36th is still alive under a powerful spell. Now Kauder visits the witch Chloe (Rose Leslie), who owns a witch bar, to seek her help to recall his own death following clues left by Dolan 36th. However the bar is attacked and destroyed by the witch Beliel (Ólafur Darri Ólafsson) and Kauder leaves Chloe under his protection. When she uses her abilities to help Kauder, he learns a dreadful secret about his immortality.

"The Last Witch Hunter" is an entertaining fantasy with lots of action and special effects. The excellent cast with Michael Caine, Vin Diesel, Rose Leslie and Elijah Wood give pedigree to the adventure. The conclusion is prepared for a sequel with Kauder's discovery. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "O Último Caçador de Bruxas" ("The Last Witch Hunter")

A witch hunter cursed to live forever finds himself facing the witch who placed the curse on him. It was trashed by the critics - and there's no doubt that talk of witch prisons and the like is more than a little silly - but The Last Witch Hunter is nevertheless enjoyable trash if not taken too seriously. Diesel gives a charismatic performance as the title character, and receives solid support from the likes of Michael Caine and Elijah Wood. Only a protracted final act spoils the mindless fun

While the movie isn't cinema worthy it is an Excellent quality movie for Netflix.

It's got a happish ending and isn't too plot heavy or filled with jump scares.

It's a movie that doesn't take itself too seriously (not that it's a total comedy but it doesn't try too hard to make you get excited into the plot which is nice as yiu don't have to think too hard

Decent world building and it doesn't try to set up sequels too much tho there is a a little attempt to.

It's acted well since the actors aren't overacting too much.

Negatives:

A little silly how one of the main characters who appears to be quite young owns a huge apartment and a business (I'll leave it at that)

Some things are left a little unclear too but it's forgivable given that you won't be dying to know them

I didn't expect much from this movie. In fact, the only reason why I went to watch it was because of Vin Diesel.

It's another one of those Hollywood cliché filled movies. Don't expect much of a storyline other than bad things happened to my family, I became a witch hunter, defied death and killed witches. It's just filled with moments you know exactly how they're going to turn out if you've seen any other movie from Hollywood.

The visual effects were good enough. And the actors played their role. The plot has so much potential. Something like knights of the round table dedicated to incarcerating witches for using black magic. It's a nice idea but poorly executed since the idea is crushed half way into the movie.

Go see it if you like 21st century shotgun + sword action and Vin Diesel. Otherwise stay way from it.

Say what you will about Vin Diesel, the guy has performed a variety of roles. From the famous furious action series, sci-fi, family comedy and even the lesser known crime drama, he's a legitimate blockbuster draw. However, in his recent fantasy escapade, he's bogged down by the same flaws from Constantine and even Van Helsing; far too much stylish fireworks and lacking any real focus on narrative.

The Last Witch Hunter tells the story of Kaulder, an immortal who hunts witches for centuries. Straight from the first act, the movie tries to jam as many expositions as possible while panning through myriad of hidden exotic locations practically every five minutes. It feels like a rushed tour of New York and none of CGI view made lasting impression.

This is a missed opportunity since the occult version of modern city is teeming with potential. Other movies, even comic books and video games have used this premise to captivate audience effectively. The screenplay could've showcased the mythology with calm pace and imaginative scenery, yet the movie abruptly shifts between uninspiring random clubs, which makes the entire environment seems generic.

It doesn't have to be Hellboy 2 level of sophistication, but the lore available feels terribly underutilized. Visual is mostly crafted with CG, and the action is mediocre with crude choreography. Underneath the cosmetic spells, the production value feels simply average, far too similar to Constantine from last decade.

This rushed pace is also translated to the characters, which appear like random strangers meshed together and suddenly given strange development. This is not on Vin Diesel alone, the movie has good acting prowess with Elijah Wood and Michael Caine, among others, however the characters are nothing more than stereotypical eccentric magicians or familiar villain. At some points it even looks like some cop procedural series with awkward buddy gimmick.

Lastly, Vin Diesel himself isn't that convincing even though he's groomed for superhero epic. In fact, he fared much better as Riddick, at least he had an identity as the stealthy assassin. While as Kaulder he's just another grunting protagonist despite the presentable physique or the grand attire.

The Last Witch Hunter is a fantasy foray filled with shallow parlor tricks and incompatible hero in Vin Diesel. It had potential to be spectacular, but the shoddy presentation only offers pedestrian exhibition.